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Interlude: Occupations

An excerpt from a sermon of Priestess Cecilia, of the Temple of Civilas, held in its main temple in Violentum:

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Give thanks to our Goddess Civilas, for it is under Her wing that our kingdom remains whole. Say praise and remember, that when no one else recognizes you for what it is you do, She shall. In front of all those who doubt your place in society, Her word is truth, and Her truth is all you need believe.

Our Occupations are Her gift, bestowed upon any and all of the mortal races who bleed like us, and who have those whom they hold dear like us—all of the mortal races who form families, tribes, nations! The humans, the devils, the elves and the beastmen! There is no other goddess, asides perhaps from Death, who bestows her gifts equally upon us who merely have borrowed lives.

Even the unbelievers, too! Even as they reap Her benefits, they claim that Occupations are nothing of substance—that they give no boosts to one’s Skills, nor to one’s MP. True that may be, that is not the object!

Your Occupation is proof of who you are! Your Occupation is proof of what you have done! No mortal can fool Her eyes, and by Her hand, She etches that into your soul, and no mortal can disguise it, no mortal can hide it!

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Of course, by our hand, we may change it. Adopt a new vocation, and Civilas will see and hear! When She hears the ring of your heart, feels the heat in your arms, and judges you dedicated to your new task, She shall be fair, and upon your Occupation shall you see Her works, ever-present, and always just!

Indeed, without the security of knowing that a person’s heart is invested in their task, how can our kingdom function? How can a town? How can, even, a mere hunting tribe?

Now, do you see, the Truth of Civilas lies not in some narcissistic position of accelerating the growth of one’s power, nor is it a crazed lullaby of life or death. There are no whispered temptations here! We live in the here and now, amidst the lives of all our comrades, our brothers, our sisters!

What matters more than our meager lives? The lives of those beside us! For we cannot live alone! We must honor each other, and offer each other our sincerest toils! Hide NOT in shame, oh Street Sweepers, oh Lantern Boys, oh Farmers; Guards, Soldiers; the Fishermen and Frontiersfolk, too!

You are not simply your name, but also what you do!

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Although the Civilas Faith remains a minor one on Terithia, aspects of their teachings have been culturally incorporated in some of the oldest nations, such as Lyrica and Kaleky, where addressing someone without their Occupation can be seen as being overly familiar or disrespectful.